SAN DIEGO ---- Marlon McCree is now counting down the weeks to the start of training camp. He's no longer fearful of needing surgery on his troublesome right knee.

The veteran free safety made it through five practices without any setbacks during the Chargers' three-day weekend minicamp. Inner trepidation has been replaced by outward elation.

"I feel great, man, I feel great," McCree said after Sunday's practice. "I'm starting to get my timing down, and my knee is feeling great. It's still a little weak, but I have (seven) weeks to get my knee strong.
<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tr>
<td class="photo" align="center">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
</table>
"I'm going to stay here all offseason. I have canceled all my plans. I'm going to stay here and train and get my knee strong and be ready to go win a Super Bowl."

McCree injured the posterior cruciate ligament in the knee during a Nov. 19 game at Denver. He played through pain the rest of the season and said he even resorted to wearing a knee brace in the team's mid-January playoff loss to New England.

The pain diminished after the rigors of playing football grinded to a halt. Yet the knee began barking again during voluntary workouts in April and flared up on the first day of May's minicamp.

He sat out the final two days of that minicamp, and the 30-year-old McCree was so concerned that he sought opinions from four different doctors.

"I was scared when it was still bothering me this far out of the season," said McCree, now pronouncing his knee 95 percent healed. "I missed everything after that minicamp. I was able to participate in (offseason coaching sessions) last Monday and Tuesday and I participated in this whole camp this weekend. I took all the reps and all the snaps.

"I felt good running. I was a little winded for having not ran in a long time, but that will come once I'm back training. I haven't been able to run at all."

Thousands of Chargers' fans wish McCree hadn't attempted to run after intercepting a pass during the playoff loss to the Patriots. McCree pick off Tom Brady's fourth-down throw with the Chargers leading by eight points with about 6 1/2 minutes remaining. But during the return, McCree had the ball knocked out of his hands by New England's Troy Brown.

The Patriots recovered at the Chargers' 32-yard line and cashed in on McCree's miscue for a touchdown and a tying two-point conversion. New England went on to a 24-21 victory.

Five months later, McCree said he feels he let his teammates down with the fumble but doesn't question his decision not to fall to the turf.

"No, I didn't second-guess myself," McCree said. "I just should've held on to the ball. I've got quite a few interceptions (16 in the NFL, counting playoff games) and never in my career ---- high school, college or pro ---- has that ever happened to me.

"Hindsight being 20-20, I would do it again. That was Tom Brady, and he's got a lot of time on the clock. I got one or two guys to make miss and I'm off and running. If I score, I'm a hero.

"I'm not just going to bat the ball down, but I've got to hold on to the ball or get down. Yes, absolutely."